Feeding mechanism for sewing machines



Oct. 21. 1924. I 1,512,582

A. H. DE VOE FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed May 26. 1920 45heets-Sheeifl WITNESS ATTORNEY.

Oct. 21, 1924. 1,512,582

A. H. DE VOE FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed May 26. 1920 .4 Sheets-Sheet 2 S ,fllerZEDeVoe, ax; 1

A'B'TURNEY Get. 21, 1924;. 1,512,582

A. H. DE VOE FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed May 26, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 WiTNESS v gag-iii? 7475 INEZl/Tj; V

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BY Wm ATTORNEY Oct. 21. 1924.

1,512,582 A. H. DE VOE FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed May 26. 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR ATTORNEY BY WWW Patented Get. 21, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,512,582 PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT H. DE VOE, 0F 'WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, 011 ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

Application filed May 26, 1920. Serial No. 384,450.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. DE Von, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVestfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeding Mechanisms for Sewing Machines, of which the following is a specification reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention relates to improve' ments in feeding mechanisms for sewing machines and has for its object tocombine with one form of commonly employed under four-motion feeding mechanism a cooperating upper feeding mechanism constructed to effect improved control of the latter when resisting the action of the under feeding member, together with improved means for actuating the upper feeding member including an upper rotary shaft carrying at its free end the means for actuating and for controlling the amplitude of said upper feeding member, the connections for connecting the latter with said rotary shaft including a bellcrank-lever bodily adjustable about a stationary axis.

These objects I accomplish by the mech anism herein shown and described, in which Fig. 1 is a view in rear side elevation of a sewing machine equipped with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a view in front end elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a View in elevation of the lower portion of the head of the sewing machine bracket-arm with certain elements omitted. Fig. 4 is a View, partly in section (on the line 00-00, Fig. 3) and partly in full lines of certain elements carried by the bracket-arm. Figs. 5, 6, 7 and p 8 are views in detail later to be referred'to. Fig. 9 is a perspective view, partially in section, of the support for the feed-bar sustaining rocking lever.

Referring to the drawings, the upper feeding mechanism is shown embodied in a sewing machine, briefly referred to, constructed with a base 1 formed integral with the standard 2 which carries the overhanging arm 3 terminating in the head 4. The main-shaft 5 is supported in bearings carried by the base 1 and is provided with a band-wheel 6 and crank 7 which latter actuates, through suitable mechanism designated, as 8, the needle-bar 9 carrying the needle '10. Cooperating with the needle 10 in the formation of stitches is the looper 11 actuated from the main-shaft 5 through suitable mechanism, as 12, the under feeding member or foot 13 is also actuated from the main-shaft 5 and cooperates with the upper feeding member 141 to feed the material for the successive stitch-formations.

Cooperating with the feeding member is a presser-foot 15 secured upon the lower end of the spring-depressed presser-bar 16 adapted to be moved vertically in bearings 17 formed in the head 1. The main-shaft 5 is provided, adjacent the crank 7, with a. second crank 18 oblique to the axis of said main-shaft and about this crank is fitted a sleeve 19 connected by a pitman 20 to a like sleeve 21 surrounding a like crank 22 on the upper feed-actuated shaft 23 journaled in bearings as 24, located at the rear side of the arm 3, the elements 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 acting to impart rotatory movements to the feed-actuating shaft 23 in synchronism with the main-shaft 5.

The present variety of sewing machine has incorporated in it a fabric trimming mechanism but as it has no particular bear ing on the present invention only such ref erence will be made to its constructive features as is necessary to distinctly difierentiate it from the construction, control and operation of the upper feeding mechanism. Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, 25 represents the trimmer-blade carrier formed as a yoke and provided at its upper and lower ends with lugs 26 and 27, respectively, the latter carrying the trimmerblade 28 which cooperates with a suitable ledger-blade, not shown, carried by the throat-plate 29. 30 denotes an eccentric carried by the feed-actuating shaft 23, said eccentric acting on a strap 31 forming a part of an arm 32 pivotally connected at 33 with a trimmer-actuating lever 34 whose opposite end is pivotally connected to the lug 26. 35 denotes a rock-shaft journaled in the head 1 and carrying at its outer end a shifting lever 36 provided with a roller 37 tracking a groove 38 in the trimmer-actuating lever 34:, said roller constituting a fulcrum for the lever 34;, the rockshaft 35 having suitably attached to it an adjusting lever 39 acting to adjust the roller 37 into and out of power transmission with respect to the yoke 25, the roller 37 when moved to its limit of adjustment to the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, acting to arrest such power transmission and position the trimmer-blade above the material being acted upon.

Referring now to the construction, control and operation of the upper feeding mechanism, the subject of the present improvement, the feeding member or foot 14 is carried by a feed-lever 41 having rocking movements on a stud-screw 42 threaded into an arm -43 of the bellcrank-lever 44, later to be referred to. The upper end of said feed-lever is pivotally connected, by screw 45, to a feed-link 46, the opposite end of gwhich is. 'pivotally mounted upon an adjustmg screw or crank-member 47 provided with a holding nut 48, the screw 47 secured in a slide-block 49 tracking agroove 50 in a plate 51 secured to an eccentric 52 fast on the free end of the shaft 23, thus effecting changes intheamplitude of feed movements of the feeding foot 14 through-the adjustment of the block 49 held against accidental movementjby the nut 48. g

The eccentric 52 is provided with a strap 53 carrying a lug 54 having an opening 55 looselyentered bythe upper end of a connecting rod 56 whose lower end is secured, by screw 57, in a socket 58 formed integral with the bellcrank-lever 44, the latter fulcrumed on a stud 59 threaded into one arm or supplemental connection 60 provided Witlra hinge pin 61 loosely mounted in op positely arranged bearings, as 62, depending from the head 4 and comprising a forked 64 denotes a bracket 6i3 see Figs. 1, 3 and 4. resistance rod or memberslidably mounted in the head 4 and acted on by a spring 65 to yieldingly hold its lower end in engagement with the upper surface of the arm 60.

66 represents a presser-bar lifting lug secured, by screw 67, to the presser-bar l6 and at its rear side provided with a stud 68 entering "an opening 69 in a head block 70 whose depending portion 71 loosely enters anopening 71 in the head 4, such combination' of elements acting-to control the movements of the Presser-bar and to hold the presser-foot 15 in given alinement with the feeding foot 14. At one side of the block 7 O is secured by screws, as 72, a lug 7 3 having an extended portion 74 seated in a groove 75 formed in a feed-lifting rod 76 provided at its lower end With a lifting lug 77 extending under the hub 78 of the connection 60 to elevate the feeding foot, in a manner later to be explained. 79 represents a presser-bar lifting block loosely mounted on the presser-bar and having a depend ing portion 80 provided with a shelf or step 81 and opening 82, the latter receiving a roller-stud 82 upon which is mounted the roller 83 acted upon by the cam-lever 84 pivoted to the head'4 whenever it is desired to elevate the feeding and the'presser-foot. Other means provided for lifting the presser and feeding foot comprises a lever 85 pivoted by a screw 86 to the overhangin arm 3, the rear end of which is connectet to a treadle wire 87 connected to a suitable treadle, not shown, located beneath the bed plate 1, the opposite or forward end of the lever 85 being provided with a slot 88 entered by a pin 89 carried by the block 79, thus permitting the treadle to effect the same function as is effected by the hand-lever 84.

In the operation of the upper feeding mechanism the eccentric 52, through the plate 51 having the groove 50 tracked by the slide-block 49, transmits, through the feedlink 46 and feed-lever 41 feed movements to the feeding foot 14, said feed-eccentric, through the strap 53, lug 54, rod 56, bellcrank-lever 44 and stud-screw 42 transmits to said feeding foot its oppositely directed vertical movements, and to meet the requirements of variations in the thickness of the materials operated on is the purpose of the employment of the supplemental connection 60 hinged at one end to a stationary part of the head 4 and at its opposite end. ivotally connected with the stud 59 carried by the bellcrank-lever 44, it being understood that variations in the thickness of the material w1ll cause the p1vot-stud 59 to be raised or lowered, permitted by the upper end of the connecting rod 56 being slidably mounted in the opening 55 of the lug 54, thus under all conditions of operation maintaining a like cooperation of the parts comprising the upper feeding mechanism. As previously pointed out the adjustment of the cam-lever 84 acts, through the roller-stud 83, extension 74, rod 76 and lifting in 77, to elevate the feeding foot whenever, or anypurpose, it is desired to raise the presser-foot 15.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is 1. In an upper feeding mechanism for sewing machines, in combination, a rocking lever having a floating fulcrum, a swinging arm fulcrumed upon the machine frame uponwhich said lever is pivoted, a feed-bar pivotally supported upon said lever, means for rocking said feed-bar upon its pivotal support to impart feeding movements to said feed-bar, means for rocking said lever to impart rising and falling movements to said feed-bar, and means for yieldingly depressing the floating fulcrum of said lever.

2. In a sewing machine, the combination with stitch-forming mechanism including a reciprocatory needle, a resser-foot, and means for yieldingly depressing said presserfoot into engagement with the work, of an upper feeding mechanism comprising a rocking lever, a swinging arm fulcrumed upon the machine frame upon which said lever is pivotally mounted, a feed-bar pivtill otally supported upon one arm of said lever, operative connections for rocking sa1d lever to impart rising and falling movements to said feed-bar, means for swinging said feed-bar about its pivotal support to impart work-feeding movements to the feedbar, and means independent of the presserfoot depressing means for yieldingly depressing said swinging arm. 1

3. In an upper feeding mechanism for sewing machines, in combination, a rocking lever having a floating fulcrum, a swinging arm upon which said lever is pivoted, a feedbar supported by said lever, a feed-dog carried by said feed-bar, actuating means for said feed-bar to impart feeding movements to said feed-dog, spring-actuated means for depressing the floating fulcrum of said lever to yieldingly maintain said feed-dog in engagement with the work during the workfeeding movement, an actuating shaft, an eccentric carried by said shaft, a pin-andsocket connection between said eccentric and said lever to impart rising and falling movements to said feed-bar and permitting raising of the feed-dog above the work against the action of said fulcrum-depressing means, and manually operable means for raising said feed-dog above the work.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT H. DE VOE. 

